Pritam, Pappu, and Dharam looked at each other. Then at the chaiwala . Then at the groaning goons.
"But we got free chai ," Pappu said.
"Keep it," Pritam said. "Buy a new donkey."
Phir se, hamesha. (Crazy. Mad. Insane. Again, and forever.) yamla pagla deewana phir
"Chickens are spies," Pappu whispered, eyeing a stray hen. "They work for the tax inspector."
But Kala grabbed the diamond.
"Got it!" Kala laughed.
Their latest disaster was named "Sardar Sohanlal's Diamond." Sohanlal, a wealthy but crooked businessman, had stolen the diamond from a temple in Amritsar. By a twist of fate, the diamond had ended up in a ladoo that Dharam had stolen from a wedding procession.
They clinked their clay cups.
Dharam looked at his plant. "Ivy says that's better than a diamond." Pritam, Pappu, and Dharam looked at each other
The chaiwala shrugged and gifted them free tea for life.
Just then, the family donkey—whom Pappu had named "Inspector Gadheri"—charged. The donkey kicked Kala so hard that the diamond flew into the air. It landed… plop … into a pot of boiling chai at a roadside stall.
That evening, sitting by the ghats, sipping their chai , Dharam spoke. "You know, we didn't get rich." "But we got free chai ," Pappu said
And in the distance, Sohanlal—who had been trying to retrieve his diamond—was chased down the street by the same donkey, now wearing a tiny badge Pappu had made for her.
"We're rich!" Pritam yelled, holding the glittering stone. "No more stealing chickens!"